UFC 70 Results and Commentary: Gabriel Gonzaga Silences the World

Two weeks after Matt Serra shocked a Texas crowd, Gabriel Gonzaga shocked — and silenced — all the world.

Facing MMA legend and top heavyweight contender Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Gonzaga came storming out of the gates, setting the pace for what will surely become one of the most talked-about rounds in the history of mixed-martial arts.

The unthinkable main event capped off Saturday night’s UFC 70 event, which took place at the MEN Arena in Manchester, England.

A little more than a minute into the fight, Gonzaga absorbed a solid kick to the ribs but grabbed Filipovic’s leg and and worked his opponent to the ground. Working from the top in full guard, Gonzaga spent the majority of the round slicing Filipovic with short and effective elbows, opening a deep gash along his hairline. Although Filipovic closed the distance from the bottom, Gonzaga continued to sneak in elbow after elbow.

Referee Herb Dean — perhaps a prematurely — eventually stood up the fighters with just 35 seconds to go.

The next shot to land was a brutal, unblocked and body-collapsing right high leg kick from Gonzaga that instantly dropped Filipovic into a tangled mess.

Stunned silence immediately followed.

The fight happened exactly as most people predicted — but with the fighters’ roles reversed. One of MMA’s most-dangerous strikers and deadliest kickers was delivered a taste of his own medicine.

With four straight UFC wins and a instant-classic kick, Gonzaga has now earned a title shot against current heavyweight champion Randy Couture at UFC 74 in August.

MAIN CARD

Like Gonzaga, Andrei Arlovski used his UFC 70 bout to earn a shot at the title.

UFC president Dana White stated last week that if the former champ could beat PRIDE veteran Fabricio Werdum in their main-card bout, Arlovski would be the next in line — after Gonzaga — for a chance at the belt.

Although he didn’t do it in the flashiest of ways, Arlovski secured a decisive and unanimous victory in one of the night’s most-anticipated fights.

The “Pitbull” set a solid pace to begin the fight, and the two heavyweights traded heavy-handed shots. Arlovski remained quick and light on his feet while his opponent oftentimes stood flat-footed with nothing more than a dirty look. Werdum’s darting stares appeared more comical than intimidating, though, and by the end of the three-round fight, that look of intensity was replaced with one of desperation.

The rush of those first few minutes diminished to a trickle by the end of the third round. However, Arlovski fought his fight — on his feet and with quick and sporadic exchanges — to top what had been one of the heavyweight division’s most notable recent acquisitions.

Arlovski’s officially back on the road to the title, and Werdum just got sent to the back of the line.

As was completely expected in one of the night’s other main-card fights, England’s Michael Bisping dominated an outmatched Elvis Sinosic. The UFC now has plenty of gory and blood-spattered clips that it can use to pad The Ultimate Fighter 3 winner’s video highlights — which frankly, is the only logical reason this fight was booked in the first place.

Yes, Sinosic has fought a virtual who’s who of MMA’s best, but he’s got a sub-.500 record and a six-year run of no significant wins to show for it. Sure, Bisping was stunned and dropped by a knee in the second round, but Sinosic was too depleted to capitalize on it. Bisping quickly reversed the position and pounded his way to a stoppage.

Bisping looked dominant and delighted the locals, but we know nothing more about him than we did before. Let’s hope the fans, the sport and Bisping himself are done justice with a legitimate matchup next time.

A solid lightweight battle featured two undefeated fighters: England’s Terry Etim and the States’ Matt Grice. Grice was shot out of a canon at the opening bell, displaying the type of strength and speed that made him a four-time national high school wrestling champion. His relentless — and oftentimes undefended — ground and pound had his opponent Etim’s nose bloodied and his face battered.

A daunting height disadvantage was neutralized as Grice worked from the top, but the tides quickly turned when the fighters returned to their feet after that initial beating. Etim locked in a standing guillotine choke that Grice barely survived. He wasn’t as lucky a few seconds later when Etim was successful on the second try. Grice’s eyes closed as he lost consciousness, and the bout was stopped.

Etim proved himself a survivor, and his size alone should make him an intriguing addition to the UFC’s 155-pound division. And despite the loss, Grice also proved he deserved a second chance in the Octagon.

The fight between Cheick Kongo and Assuerio Silva opened the night’s broadcast and seemed destined for an early stoppage, but the two heavyweights went the distance for a decision. Kongo displayed some solid striking, but his ground game continued to show some gaping holes that Silva just couldn’t benefit from.

The Latest

The man known for cranking submissions to the point of injury added eye-gouging to his repertoire. But is the controversy of Rousimar Palhares too essential to his bizarre, awful appeal for his employers to take any meaningful action against him?

Ronda Rousey’s statistical greatness has already ventured into uncharted territory – just six fights into her UFC career. Check out all the post-fight facts, including Rousey’s latest achievements, about UFC 190.